


Garage Sale

by llunation



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: M/M, Peterick, Pikey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-23
Updated: 2013-08-23
Packaged: 2017-12-24 09:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/938311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llunation/pseuds/llunation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Pete told him they were at a garage sale. He hadn’t been expecting to do it any time soon but they had dissolved into what Patrick called “Q&A” and the words just fell out of his mouth.</p><p>“What would you do if I were bisexual?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Garage Sale

When Pete told him they were at a garage sale. He hadn’t been expecting to do it any time soon but they had dissolved into what Patrick called “Q&A” and the words just fell out of his mouth.

“What would you do if I were bisexual?” Pete asks in a quiet voice, his own eyes widening in shock as his brain registered the words that were said.

Patrick merely shrugs his shoulders. “Um, nothing really,” he says as he looks to Pete. “I mean I figured one day one of my friends would end up being… y’know. I guess you could say it would be a shock, but not really at the same time. Does that make any sense?”

Pete only bobs his head, half aware of what his best friend was saying. “Oh, well…” he says, his eyes flicking down to their feet. “By the way,” he says, his voice hardly above whisper as it wavered with the omission. “Surprise.”

Patrick stares at Pete, his eyes filled with intrigue and only a mild shock. Pete glances up and catches the blonde’s gaze, a small smile spreads on his face, a smile of hope. “Cool,” Patrick says after only a few missed beats. “Thanks for telling me.”

Pete’s grin grew and he looked up to meet Patrick’s eye fully. He never felt so liberated in his whole life. He tried to find the words to say, well, honestly there was only one, but he couldn’t even manage to bring the simple polite word of appreciation to his lips.

“So say you’re stuck on an island and you only have one record with you,” Patrick finally says after an awkward silence, though it may only have been awkward in Pete’s mind. “Which one do you have?”

“You and your hypothetical island shit,” Pete laughs, breathing in deeply after holding his breath for so long. He rolls his eyes in mock irritation to buy himself time to think of a good answer to the question.

His heart still hadn’t stopped beating hard in his chest.

\---

How did Pete never come out before now? It was a truly liberating feeling to feel yourself, to do what you please.

Boys were much easier to flirt with. Girls always expected you to praise them, to up the things that others had told them even before. Males on the other hand were always blindsided when a sweet word was passed their way and caught off guard for long enough to easily fall into the flirt. Pete was a natural with his words and he was surprised at how even the straightest guys responded to him almost eagerly as if they didn’t realize they were falling to his charm.

Pete would later mention to Patrick this fact before feeling awkward. Patrick would tell Pete about how Elisa from history, who he may or may not have a crush on, asked for him to explain a World War I concept to her before they started talking about music tastes.

\---

Pete’s not sure what posses him to do so, but he walks up to Patrick in between classes, loops his arm through Patrick’s, and presses his face against the blonde’s cheek.  
Patrick retracts his head slightly with an eye roll and Pete laughs as the two continue walking the halls to their next classes.

A few whispers and sideways glances follow them, but this is common behaviour from Pete and enough people know him well enough to not think twice about it, or at least not say anything to his face. Pete’s been used to the gay rumours for years now. Then again, now they weren’t exactly rumours.

“Bye sweetie,” Pete says as he stops to unattach himself from Patrick. He blows a kiss theatrically and Patrick smiles slightly before walking into his class. Pete chuckles at his own antics before turning to head to his class. He’s not too put off; Patrick isn’t the type to show affection as much as he did.

\---

Pete arrives at Patrick’s house unannounced with his face looking blank and a bag slung onto his back. Mrs. Stump is only slightly irritated by the sudden newcomer but Patrick’s dad welcomes Pete into the house with open arms. Mrs. Stump sets another spot at the dinner table.

Patrick shoots Pete a questioning glance over dinner when his parents aren’t looking. Pete only sadly shakes his head and goes back to looking at his hardly touched food. None of Mr. Stump’s jokes or music discussions can make him smile.

Later that night Pete tells Patrick that his parents were fighting again. “They didn’t bring you into it again, did they?” Patrick asks although he already knows the answer. Pete nods. “Well, they don’t know that you…?”

Pete shrugs and rolls over in the bed.

\---

In the middle of the night Patrick wakes up to Pete mumbling in his sleep. His tan hands are shaking and Patrick can’t make out any of the words, but the tone is clear: Pete’s having a nightmare.

It takes a few rigorous shakes but Pete finally wakes up and brings his hand across his face and smears wetness around his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Patrick asks, staring at the other boy in the dim light. Pete jerks his head in a half nod, half shake, breathing heavily all the while.

Patrick knows better than to ask, so instead he leaves briefly before returning to the bedroom with a glass of water. Pete takes it quickly and gulps it down, quickly at first, before going slower, until his breathing finally goes back to normal.

Pete nods to the younger boy before placing the glass on the bedside table and lying back down. Patrick gives Pete a last concerned look before laying back down.

\---

Pete is there when Patrick gets high for the first time. It’s only weed, nothing too serious, but enough to get a good buzz and to be able to later say, “Yeah, I got high. What about it?”

Patrick’s nervous at first and the darker haired boy promises that everything will be fine. Pete coaxes him to take a first hit and watches with interest before helping the now sputtering boy.

“Stop laughing,” Patrick says when he finally can get a word out. He looks up quickly at Pete, but becomes disoriented, sending the older boy into another fit of giggles. Pete pauses long enough to get his own share before passing it back to Patrick.

An hour later the two are lying on Pete’s bed and Pete has his head on Patrick’s shoulder. Patrick’s talking about some kid named Ryan who’s obsessed with the Beatles. Pete’s pretty sure that the Ryan person is made up but he lets Patrick keep talking anyway. The sound of his voice is nice and keeps him calm.

\---

Patrick later tells Pete that being high was alright, but he didn’t want to do it again anytime soon.

\---

It was a known fact that Pete was the more affectionate one out of the pair, so when one night that Patrick’s over and he’s hanging off of Pete more than Pete ever did to him in a day, he starts to get a little suspicious of his best friend.

There’s an increase in Pete’s heart rate, he’s sure. He also can’t stop twitching.

He doesn’t question Patrick as he loops his arm around Pete’s neck and threads their fingers together loosely.

\---

Patrick ends up staying over that night.

He’s sprawled on the bed and Pete takes off his shirt and tosses it to a corner. For a moment he stares at his tan torso in the full length mirror, imagining the different designs he one day will have decorating his skin. He’s been working on a new design, a bat with a heart in the center of it, or maybe a skull. Pete’s terrible at making up his mind.

He flicks off the light before going to the bed and is surprised to see Patrick holding the covers open for him in the dark light. Without thinking, Pete falls into the bed and lets the other boy bring the covers over him before wrapping Pete up tightly into his arms.

It’s a struggle for him to keep his breathing from going erratic. His senses become hyper aware and his body is electrified; instead of the slightly worn feeling that he had earlier, Pete is awake and jolted. He can feel the minute movements Patrick makes as he settles behind him: a slight shift of the hips to fit Pete, the brush of toes as his feet make their way to intertwine between his before his legs push on his to intertwine the two of them.

The sensations are new to Pete.

Patrick moves his head forward and Pete can feel his calm breaths rush across his cool neck from behind him. Pete’s tempted to move his hand to hold Patrick’s which is resting on Pete’s side just above his hips. He’s scared to though, unsure of what all this means and what his reaction would be.

Instead he stays up most of the night, wondering what is going on. At least this night he won’t have nightmares.

\---

The next morning when he wakes he’s curled inward to Patrick, his face nuzzled in to his neck, their legs a messy tangle.

They both are awake, but neither speaks. Instead, Patrick rolls onto his back and Pete adjusts himself accordingly, his arm slinging around the younger boy’s torso and holding him in tightly. Patrick’s arm is underneath Pete and grips at his sides.

An hour later Patrick says that he has to go.

Pete doesn’t ask him what last night meant.

\---

At school there is an unspoken agreement to pretend it never happened.

Pete’s slightly hurt when he sees Patrick talking with Elisa when he walks down to lunch.

\---

The most frustrating thing is needing to talk to someone, but the only person that will get it is the person you want to talk about. Pete was sure that conversation would go down well: “Hey, Patrick, can you tell me what you think about you being all cuddly out of the blue?”

It was eating him up inside though, and he needed some kind of outward perspective on it though. He decided to go to Gabe, because sometimes he said good things and also because he wasn’t particularly close with Patrick.

“What’s so serious you need to speak to me about?” Gabe asks, his eyebrow rising as Pete found him outside during lunch. There was a smartass grin forming around the corner of his lips and Pete could tell he knew it was about his boy woes. Pete had shared his somewhat of a secret to a hand full of his friends. Gabe had laughed for an hour straight, every once in awhile exclaiming how glad he was that he was “in on the joke.”

“Patrick and I slept together,” he quickly says before biting his lip.

Gabe nearly chokes on the cigarette he’s sneaking as he stars wide-eyed at the short boy. “You and Stump did what?” He brings the thin cylinder to his lips and takes several quick puffs.

“No, god, no not like that,” Pete rectifies, realizing in horror the implications of his statement. “No we just… Slept. In the same bed. Together.”

Gabe narrows his eyes and Pete can tell he doesn’t quite understand. “And cuddling. Arms and legs were all,” Pete wraps his arms around himself in poor demonstration.

“Oh, okay. Not that weird, but still. I thought Stump was straight?” Gabe’s mouth hangs open after his question and smoke curls out from between his lips.

Pete refrains from saying how that wasn’t even the point but he stops himself. Gabe was a great friend, but he just didn’t get some things some times.

Gabe shrugs before tossing the cigarette to the ground and stamps it out halfheartedly. “Maybe he’s just curious,” he suggests. “I would be if I had you hanging off me all the time, amigo.” Gabe winks and Pete fakes a smile.

He wonders again why he asked him for help.

\---

That weekend Pete puts on more eyeliner than he ever has and goes to a club to forget about his problems. Travie scores him booze and drugs. At one point he is vaguely aware that he does this lame dance moves for a chance to get a laugh from the others.

Halfway through the night Pete is introduced to a guy a year older than he named Mikey. Through the haze of his high Pete can tell that he’s an attractive boy who seems interested as well.

\---

The next morning there’s a next from a number saying it belongs to a Mikey.

There’s also a message from Patrick asking if he did their assignment for science.

Pete texts Mikey.

\---

Pete and Mikey are officially dating. Pete thinks he’s really sweet and the two both prefer the bass over guitar. Pete teaches him how to put on eyeliner and in turn Mikey doodles on Pete’s arm in something that he is sure is lipstick. Pete refuses to refer to him as a distraction and he tells Patrick that he’s really excited to actually be dating a boy.

Patrick is happy for Pete, but there’s something just slightly off throughout the conversation.

Pete tries not to think that it’s jealousy.

He fails.

\---

If Patrick thinks that it is weird that Pete still hangs off of him at all times despite the fact that Pete now has a boyfriend, he doesn’t say so. It’s not even a conscious thought to Pete, more like second nature, an automatic response. Pete just sometimes needs the reassurance of Patrick’s being there. It doesn’t mean anything. At least, it didn’t used to, Pete was sure.

\---

Patrick and Mikey meet for the first time.

Unlike Patrick, Mikey is definitely bothered by the fact that Pete shows his best friend more affection than he does to his boyfriend.

Pete promises Mikey that Patrick’s just his best friend, his straight best friend, and that he’s helped him though a lot and it helped him cope in the past.

Mikey finally says that he understands. Pete decides to not be a clingy girlfriend to the wrong person anymore.

\---

They’ve been dating for two and a half months now. Pete is happy. Mikey is happy. The two go on cliché dates such as bowling or picnics in the park. Sometimes Pete goes to Mikey’s house and they practice bass whenever his parents aren’t home. Pete is introduced to his boyfriend’s older brother Gerard and Pete decides that he’s a pretty cool guy.  
Mikey confesses to Pete that he isn’t out to his family yet, and Pete tells Mikey the same about himself. The blonde smiles and says cheerfully, “We’re so alike, I knew there was a reason I loved you so much!”

The L word caught Pete off guard and it bothered him for the rest of the day. Sure, he liked Mikey, but Pete didn’t think he could say the other word to him and be honest.

\---

“Are you there?” Patrick can easily hear the concern and fear in Pete’s voice.

“Yes,” the younger boy replies.

Pete presses the phone closer to his ear to make up for the fact that Patrick isn’t there. “They’re fighting again,” he whispers, his voice barely choking out. Patrick hears his words perfectly. For a moment he considers asking why Pete called him and not Mikey, but is mortified as soon as the thought crosses his mind. “I can hear my name being dragged in,” Pete is saying.

Patrick tries to keep his voice even although he hates himself for his betraying thoughts. “Can you get out?” he asks, although he knows the answer.

“No, they have my window locked after they found the weed that one time,” Pete replies. Patrick sighs, unsure of how he can help his best friend when he is so far away. “Can you… can you just talk to me?” Pete asks. “About anything.”

Patrick nods and begins to talk about anything and everything. He skips over the topic of Elisa. Pete is grateful.

\---

Prom is coming up in a month. Pete promptly asks Mikey who enthusiastically agrees. Both are pretty sure that their parents wouldn’t take too kindly to them going with another boy so they claim they couldn’t get dates.

Patrick tells Pete that he wants to ask out Elisa and too the younger boy’s surprise Pete says that it would be a fantastic idea. Patrick returns to Pete that afternoon in an awful mood mumbling about her going on a trip that week. Pete has half a mind to go and yell at her for making Patrick miserable with a lie, but Patrick stops him and tells him that it’s the truth.

Pete tells Mikey about what happened to Patrick and that he feels bad that he won’t have a date. Mikey proposes that all three go in a group and that they can keep the boyfriend stuff low key so Patrick doesn’t feel bad.

The three make plans for the big night with tux rentals and hotel reservations. Patrick’s still feeling down but it lessens over time before he is actually looking forward to the event.

Pete smiles and feels that everything is going the best that it could go.

\---

“Pete, Pete they know. They – my parents… Gerard found out and told him, I think he heard us talking one day? Shit Pete they’re angry. I had to sneak this call. I don’t think I’ll have this phone much longer. Until then I don’t know what’s going to happen with us. Shit, Pete, I’m sorry.”  
Pete sits on his bed in stunned silence, listening to the recording in voice mail. How could he have missed such an important call? If only he had taken a shower ten minutes earlier, or he could have skipped the shower altogether.

He calls Patrick and tells him what happened, his voice hardly able to get out the words.

It surprised him how much he had actually cared for Mikey. What had started as a simple distraction had grown, transformed, and now Pete didn’t know what his boyfriend’s fate would be. Surely his family wouldn’t hurt him, but he sounded scared out of his life in the message.

Patrick comes over and sits in Pete’s room with him. They both know that nothing can be said to calm Pete down and Patrick only watches as the older boy rips apart another shirt in frustration.

\---

Pete sneaks to the Way’s house at night and is able to get Mikey to come to a window. Pete is relieved that he looks well physically aside from being tired and scared.

“What’s gonna happen to you?” Pete asks through the window, worried that his voice would wake Mikey’s parents. The blonde quickly scrawls on a piece of paper and presses it against the window for Pete to read. _They want to send me away to get “help.”_ The sentence angers Pete and he looks up to Mikey’s face and asks, “Where?” Mikey shrugs.

Taking the paper back in front of him, Mikey begins writing again. _Pete, I don’t want you waiting up for me. Don’t worry about me, I’m a big boy now, I’ll get out of this as soon as I can. Go make the most of your life and maybe I’ll see you around again. Sorry about Prom_. There’s a tear going down Mikey’s face as he watches Pete read it. Pete wants to protest, to break the window and bust Mikey out of there, but he can’t bring himself to do so.

Because they’re cliché, Pete holds up a curved hand to the window, the thumb tapered down at a straighter angle than the top fingers. From the other side of the glass, Mikey completes the heart.

The two smile to each other for a brief moment before Pete makes himself walk away.

\---

Prom is reduced to just Pete and Patrick. In the end they’re not too horribly surprised since it is always just them. It mostly consists of music and dancing and their peers who had gotten drunk before arriving. Gabe has an attractive girl on his arm and winks to Pete every time he sees them. The only interesting thing that happens all night is that this boy, Andrew, who ends up taking off his top by the end of the night to reveal a hidden plethora of tattoos on his body. His friend Joe is cackling to his side the entire time. To both of their relief, Elisa isn’t present and Pete is glad that she didn’t lie to Patrick.

“She said she would have come with me if she was going to be here,” he tells Pete offhandedly as they sit out a slow dance. Pete can feel an old feeling stir inside of him as he looks to his best friend.

“How come you didn’t tell me that earlier?” Pete asks, an eyebrow raised.

Patrick shrugs before a smirk makes its way onto his face. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

Pete’s eyes widen and he’s not sure how to respond.

\---

They go to the hotel that they had reserved and end up buying a pay-per-view movie and ordering desert for room service. They stay up until some ungodly hour laughing at stupid movies. At one point the neighbors bang on the wall at them, but Pete yells back at them. Patrick worries that they’ll get kicked out, but no one ever comes to give them the boot.

“Hey, that night a few months ago,” Patrick says. Pete blinks and looks at him before realizing that the credits had been rolling for awhile. ‘The night where, um, I-“

“Spooned me?” Pete supplied, sitting up.

“Yeah,” Patrick said, scratching his head. “I never really explained myself and I feel bad.” Pete nodded for him to go on, needing for him to get it all out. “I was just really cuddly that night and I guess I kind of went overboard. Sorry about that.” Patrick gives Pete a sheepish grin that falters somewhat.

Pete blinks, nods, and says, “Yeah? That’s cool then. Thanks for letting me know.” He could ask more questions, but he decides against it.

“Yeah, alright, cool, good, yeah, good.” Patrick runs a hand through his hair as he mumbles to himself. Pete watches him and wonders if he’ll say anything more. He doesn’t.

\---

Pete crawls into the bed Patrick’s in despite the fact that the room has two beds. If Patrick wonders what Pete is doing he doesn’t voice it.

He sides underneath the covers and moves himself right behind the younger boy before wrapping his arms around him and pulls his back into his front. Hooking his chin over Patrick’s shoulder, Pete curls himself around him.

Patrick doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, doesn’t make a sound.

Pete wonders if he pushed him too far.

Suddenly, Patrick moves out of Pete’s hold. Pete doesn’t even try to tighten his grip as he can feel his heart falling and hurting inside of his chest. He had been so close, and yet…

And yet. Patrick flips himself to face Pete before pulling himself back in. It takes Pete a moment to get it, to understand what the blonde is doing. Pete’s hands find their way to Patrick’s sides and he can feel Patrick’s hands curling around his back. Their legs are shuffling themselves into each other to become a complex knot that no one can untangle.

Patrick’s face is level with Pete’s. Their noses are touching, overlapping just the slightest bit and they breathe in the same air. Pete grins like an idiot and he’s taking in as much as he can of Patrick’s face at this proximity. Patrick smiles shyly back at him.

Pete thinks it’s okay that Patrick doesn’t say anything more.

His actions tell Pete everything he needs to know anyway.


End file.
